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Deciding On the Right Puppy to Adopt – Consider Your Options Carefully

Deciding on the right puppy to adopt can be hard to do, particularly if it is your first puppy. Before making the decision on any breed of puppy in particular there are many things to be considered.

Firstly, if the thought of adopting a puppy is the foremost thing in your life at present it’s likely that the idea of adding an adorable little creature to your family is not going to go away easily.

It is a known fact that bringing a new puppy into a family is exciting and can add endless fun to family activities. On the other hand, difficulties can arise if the right preparation hasn’t been done to accommodate this delightful new member of your household.

Puppies are cute and loveable but, as you may be aware, they are often full of mischief and can keep an owner on ‘their toes’, so to speak. Once you bring a puppy into your life, that puppy will be with you for many years, depending on the life expectancy of your puppy’s breed. So there are many factors to consider.

Who Really Wants to Adopt the Puppy?

Do you really want a puppy in your household, or are you getting a puppy to please other family members?

Just a reminder that if you are adopting a puppy for your children, those children may ‘fly the nest’ in a few years time, leaving you with the full responsibility of an older dog that could become lonely due to the absence of young ones in his/her life. Such loneliness will cause your adult dog to need more time and attention from you than you may be able to give. I can certainly speak from experience on this subject!!

Is Small, Medium or Large Breed the Right Puppy to Adopt?

Unless you know exactly the breed of dog you want, you will need to explore different breeds to find the right dog for your situation.

When deciding on the right puppy to adopt it’s essential to research temperaments of different dog breeds

Dogs with excitable temperaments are usually frequent barkers. If your home is located in a residential neighborhood it would not be wise to own an excitable dog. Owning a barking dog is a quick way to become unpopular with surrounding neighbors. If your home is situated in a rural area, barking is usually not such a problem.

Will there be someone at home during the day, or will puppy be home alone?

Leaving a young puppy at home alone is not ideal. Dogs of all ages need companionship and a young puppy will certainly fret if alone for any great length of time. Such loneliness could result in long term problems with separation anxiety.

Are you able to provide a fully fenced garden area where puppy will be safe?

Most puppies love exploring and will seek out a space, or hole, in a fence to escape through. Of course a puppy has no idea of consequences outside of his normal area, and can cause great concern to those who care about him when he is found to be missing. Seriously, it’s agonizing to find a puppy is missing when knowing that there is a busy roadside outside one’s property. So, just a word of warning – secure fencing is vital when owning a puppy or even venturesome adult dog.

Have you thought about where your puppy will sleep at night time?

Where a puppy sleeps will depend largely on the type of dog he is. Small dogs are more likely to sleep inside at night, and large dogs usually sleep outside in a kennel or suitable dog house. However, that is a decision that you need to consider when deciding on the size and breed of the puppy you are going to adopt.

Do you have experience with training a puppy?

Correct puppy training is essential and as owner of your puppy, your role will be Pack Leader or Alpha Dog whichever you prefer to call yourself. Both titles lead to the same responsibility of training your puppy.

Do you have time available each day to invest in training a puppy?

In fairness to yourself and your puppy, it is essential to start training from the time you bring your puppy home. Therefore additional time needs to be set aside daily to train your puppy, at least until he/she learns to recognize to obey your commands to sit, and to listen to you.

To help you with deciding on the right puppy to adopt, I recommend that you have a look at “How to Adopt a Healthy Dog or Puppy” as this will give you the opportunity to compare different dog breeds.